Unpredictable
by Imagined-Ink
Summary: Life is famous for throwing curve-balls. And the PowerPuff Girls were famous for throwing them right back. Preparation is key. They had the strength to fight monsters, the wits to battle geniuses, and the sweetness to deter any darkness. But now they're just three girls, trying to grow up. And now, life is throwing them the biggest curve-ball of all. { PPG/RRB }
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Just Bubbles

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><p>"<em>What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness."<em>  
>― John Steinbeck, <em>Travels with Charley: In Search of America<em>

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><p>To say her day could have gone better was an understatement.<p>

Dripping with ooze, Bubbles tried in vain to scrub the disgusting monster gunk from her hair. It had been a tough fight, tougher than she'd expected. The water around her was tinted both green and red, most of the blood coming from the cuts and scrapes she'd received.

She found, as a teen, it was easier to get hurt. Physically hurt. As little girls, the Chemical X in their systems had been able to work at an amazingly rapid speed. But age changed them. It was like how the Professor explained it—how as people got older, their cells stopped growing as fast as they used to. The X was working the same way, slowing down in their systems, making them more vulnerable as time passed on. It made her kind of nervous.

Green-hued suds rolled down her shoulders in waves, as the shower-head above blared down a scalding torrent of water. Everything hurt. But at least she hadn't ended up like Buttercup. The blue-eyed Puff knew her sister had gotten the worst of it all, due to her rather…spearheaded nature. Still, the feeling of soreness was almost reminiscent of the days that she had to exercise for extended periods of time. It hurt and burned, but was probably good for her in the end. It made her stronger…right?

After a considerable amount of time passed, she finally decided good enough was well enough, and allowed one final rinse to chase the leftover goo from her hair and skin. Bubbles made sure to firmly wrap a towel around herself, yet still felt a chill as soon as she exited the warmth of the shower. The shock of it made her shiver.

Steam rolled through the small room, only half-fogging up the mirror that stared back at her. Years certainly had done a number on them all. When they were young, they'd almost been identical in looks, hadn't they? Now…now there was no way to tell they were related at all. Blossom was so much taller now, and had managed to even sprout freckles across what was once unblemished skin. It didn't look bad—in fact, Bubbles thought they looked cute.

Buttercup had managed to get darker somehow. Skin the color of creamy coffee, and hair as black as a crow's feathers. Even with the beauty she'd been granted, she still had the mouth of a sailor, and the attitude of a prisoner. Always gloomy, always mad about something. She was ridiculous, but she was the toughest of them all, and the always prominent muscles in her arms and legs proved it.

But where had Bubbles fared? Not as lovely as Blossom, with her long red hair and star-speckled skin. Not as exotic as Buttercup, with her still wild, chopped lock, and venomous green eyes. She was somewhere in the middle. The shortest of the trio, with the tallest being the string-bean Blossom. The curviest, with round parts that weren't muscle, and not skin. Chub that had been lying underneath, only to surface after puberty made its cruel mark in their lives. Her sisters had gotten the promised beauty—but she? Bubbles felt often like she'd gotten the short-end of the stick.

Not that she didn't find herself pretty. Her hair, dripping wet in the reflection she gazed at, was still long and smooth. She had skin between the hues of her two sisters, not at all bad-looking. Her face still held its childish pudge, round cheeks, wide, glimmering blue eyes. Yeah…she could be considered '_cute'_.

Not beautiful.

But '_cute'_ was always a viable option.

She stood like that for a moment, observing herself in the foggy mirror, until the sound of knocking broke her from her thoughts. A rapid, heavy rapping, followed by an annoyed voice that she quickly attached to Buttercup.

"_C'mon,_ Bubbles! You're not the only one covered in this junk! We've gotta take showers, too!"

"Alright!" She called back, rushing to wring out her sopping hair over the drain of the sink. "Just a second!"

The only response was a grumble. One more look—the same face, still staring back. Same blue eyes. Same stout frame. Same old Bubbles. Satisfied with what she could get, she let out a content sigh, and pushed open the door, shuffling past her still sticky, dripping sisters, each giving her their own variations of glares. She tried to ignore them, moving through the cold room to where their shared closet waited, filled with dry, warm clothes to change into.

She pulled on a simple outfit, a shirt, a skirt, and some pretty sneakers. Not feeling bothered enough to put on anything extremely festive or bright, she still felt urged enough to tug her hair up into its normal pigtails. Of course, they didn't hang as high as they used to, now lower, more towards her neck than on the top of her head. The bands snapped against her fingers as she pulled her hair into place, and Bubbles let out a soft yelp, tugging her hand to her mouth in pain.

"Girls?" She hadn't heard the Professor coming up the stairs, and his sudden appearance elicited another yelp, less pained, and more surprised. "Ah, Bubbles—good, you're here!"

"Uh-huh! Of course I'm here Professor!" She smiled at her father, who laughed in response.

"Yes, yes, of course. Uh…look, Bubbles. The Mayor just called—"

"Not _another_ monster!" Blossom groaned as Buttercup let out a growly sound. They'd just fought! And they were already so tired…

"No, no!" He held up his hands, walking further into the room with his hands raised. "No more monsters. He just called to say that he had something he wanted to talk to you all about."

To her surprise, the Professor turned and waved a hand in her direction. "To you, especially, Bubbles."

"Me?" She squeaked. "What's he want with me?"

"Probably to open another stupid jar of pickles." Buttercup called from inside the bathroom, over the roar of the running shower. Blossom, who apparently hadn't heard Buttercup sneak in before she could rush in herself, let out a cry of anger.

"Hey! It was my turn Buttercup!"

"Tough luck! You're gonna have to wait!"

"Ugh!" Defeated, the redheaded Puff slumped back down in front of the door, her arms crossed over her chest. "Did he say what he wanted, Professor?"

"Um…well, _no_. But he did say it was of importance. So I told him that you'd meet up after you're all cleaned up."

"That's okay." Bubbles replied. "I can head over there right now."

"I think he'd rather have all three of you there at one time, Bubbles." Their father explained, moving his hands as he spoke. "So he can tell you what he needs at one time. What if it's an emergency of some sort? Don't you think it'd be good for all of you to know at once?"

"Oh, yeah." She hadn't thought of that. Still, now she was curious. What could the Mayor need from them—from her? After all, she was just Bubbles. The third Puff, the _sweet_ one. Maybe he just wanted to hang out? He liked hanging out with them. Of course, now that they were older, they had bigger stuff to deal with. High school was different from Elementary school, and their schedules were constantly filled up with classes, homework, and various extracurricular activities.

"I _really_ hope it's not another monster." Blossom commented from where she sat. "I've got a Physics test to study for tomorrow!"

"I've got a game tomorrow!" Buttercup shouted back. Bubbles knew how true both comments were. Blossom was always worried about her grades, and Buttercup was a pretty good soccer player. Both of them always had stuff to do, which only made her feel more inadequate than before. She didn't have much to do. But that was mostly because she hadn't had a chance to talk with the councilor about joining any clubs. There were a lot to choose from, and she had a lot she wanted to do. But she could only pick up to three, and none of them could overlap schedule-wise.

"I understand girls. But you don't know what it could be. You'll just have to wait until you visit him for yourselves. No point in jumping to conclusions."

"Yeah." It chorused from all three of them, as each head hung down in understanding. If Bubbles could see Buttercup, she was sure her head was hanging down too. They shouldn't have been worrying, not even knowing what the problem was yet. She reached down, picking at the edge of her skirt in nervousness.

"Good. Now, then—I've got some work to do, but promise me that if it is a big issue, you'll call me before doing anything, okay?" He stood up, giving them all a stern, but caring gaze. "You're school time is more important than any fighting."

"Yes, Professor." Another echoed statement.

"Okay, then. Good work today, girls." One last smile, more proud, even as a bit of disgust sept into his features as he reached out to pat Blossom's hair, bringing a wet string of monster goo with him. "Make sure to, uh…clean this all up, _okay?"_

"Yes, Professor." Just Blossom now, as the shower's downpour came to a stop from inside the bathroom. Bubbles remained silent, still pondering the possibilities. Maybe a picnic? Maybe he had a secret mission for her? Ms. Bellum liked her drawings, maybe he wanted her to draw him something to give to her as a present?

"Okay. Okay. Uh…I'll see you later girls." He gave the sticky footprints that coated the floor a shuddering glance, just before closing the door to their room. _"Ew…"_

"Whaddya think he wants us for?" Buttercup called out, her voice clearer now that the water had stopped running. "Cause if it's for another stupid political meeting, I swear I'm gonna—"

"Those are important!" Blossom commented, her voice filled with annoyance. "We've gotta make good impressions on visitors, and you know that! We can't have people—!"

"Freaking out over the '_bug-eyed superhero freaks'_, yeah, yeah." The door opened, revealing Buttercup, wrapped in her own towel. She shot their eldest sibling a grimace through dripping bangs. "I know. We gotta make good with these upper-class jerks. Doesn't mean I gotta like it, though."

A huff, as Blossom's cheeks puffed out, preparing to spill out just what she thought of Buttercup's opinions. Bubbles could feel a bit of franticness in her voice as she spat out the first thing that popped into her mind. "The shower's open now!"

"Oh—oh, yeah!" A series of squishing sounds, as the oldest Puff stood. She couldn't keep a grossed-out look from her face, even as she addressed the middle Puff with an authoritative tone. Blossom reached out, poking Buttercup's covered chest with one finger. "Later, we're gonna have to have a talk about the importance of political relationships."

"Great, yeah, whatever. Just go get the nasty out of your hair before you try approaching me about such '_dignified matters'_." Buttercup pushed the hand away, only to recoil in disgust as the substance she'd just gotten off her skin once more coated her palm. "Ugh—_dammit."_

"Buttercup." Blossom warned, shutting the bathroom door with a warning glare. "Watch your words."

As soon as it was shut, however, the green sister turned and jerked a thumb over her shoulder, giving Bubbles a '_can you believe that?'_ sort of look. Bubbles sighed, shaking her head softly. They would never outgrow this, would they? She'd have thought that after some time this bitterness would fade away, but even in adolescence, it hung around.

"I hope it's for something nice." She mused to her sister, who was quickly making a mess of the closet's interior.

"He probably just wants us for something stupid." Buttercup bit back, dragging out a wrinkled green T-shirt. She dropped the towel and tugged it over her head. Bubbles shrugged, averting her eyes towards the three windows that were just across from where they stood. Thankfully, they now had curtains, but the middle one was still open. Feeling a bit uncomfortable with the feeling that a stranger might be able to see them, she rose to go close it.

"I'm not sure. I really feel like it might be for something big." Call it a hunch. Bubbles' intuition. She was hardly ever wrong about these feelings, as flighty as she knew her thoughts were. If she felt like something was gonna turn out bad, it usually did. This wasn't a '_bad'_ situation, though. Just a '_big'_ one. It made her spine tingle.

"Sure, Bubbles. If it's something big, like you say, then I'll buy you ice-cream to make up for it, okay?"

_What?_ That wasn't what she was saying at all. If it was something big, that didn't mean she wanted ice-cream out of it! Though a chocolate cone did sound good…maybe with sprinkles…

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts of the treat she now craved. "That's not what I—"

"Hey, where's my black pair of jeans?" Buttercup interrupted, leaning over their wardrobe to shuffle through the pairs of pants and skirts.

"Which ones?" She had a lot of them.

"The ones with the holes in the knees."

"...Which ones?"

"The—the ones with the flames going up the bottom!"

Oh. Those ones. "I think they're in the hamper with the other dirty clothes."

"Aw, damn." Shuffling across the room, Buttercup purposely shook her head as she passed by Bubbles, showering her sister in water droplets.

"Hey!" She sputtered, laughing as she tossed a pillow at her sister, who easily ducked the projectile. "What was that for?"

"Dunno. Just felt like it." The green Puff smirked, digging out piles of discarded clothes before she caught what she was looking for. Her emerald eyes sparked in revelation, and she dragged out the pair of the pants she'd wanted. They were just as wrinkled as her shirt, and covered with various stains.

Bubbles wrinkled her nose. "You're really gonna wear those?"

"Yeah, why? They're not _that_ dirty." As she said that, while pulling them on, a dirty sock fell out of one of the pants legs. Bubbles sent Buttercup a look that spoke what she didn't have to say.

_Oh, really?_

"Aw, you're just picky. Besides, they go with this shirt!" She pointed at the flaming skull that adorned her chest. Well, that much was true. They did match.

"Yeah, but they're dirty!" She couldn't help but voice her displeasure, only to get another shrug as a second wave of droplets were sent flying her way. _"Buttercup!"_

Maybe it would be something small, like Buttercup thought. Maybe it'd be something simple. She could deal with that. After all, the sweet one was made for dealing with simpler things. She could handle them. But even as a large portion of her brain wished for such a scenario, Bubbles could still feel a tiny, minuscule corner of her mind whispering for something different.

_Give me something big, _it willed._ Let me have something for myself. Let me be part of something important, too. Let me show them what I can do. They know I'm not weak—so let me prove that again._

_Let me be more than this._

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><p><strong>I don't even know why I'm writing this.<strong>

**I just got hit with the huge urge to write a PPG fanfic, thanks to both **_"But We're Different!"_** and **_"More Than Human". _**Both of which are great reads, I highly recommend them. To go ahead and state the pairings here, its gonna be an Opposites Attract sort of RRB/PPG fic. **

**Bubbles/Butch**

**Buttercup/Brick**

**Blossom/Boomer**

**I hope you guys enjoy this, and don't feel afraid to give me criticism if you feel it's due.**

**I.I.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Curious Situation

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><p>The flight to the Mayor's home was filled with speculations, and complaints.<p>

Buttercup was too tired to deal with whatever they were being called in for. Blossom, now changed out of her stained outfit into a more comfortable, and cleaner, red sundress, was spouting a consistent list of reasons why this meeting was valid, and important. Bubbles floated at the end of her two bickering sisters, trying her best to drown out their rapid-fire commentary with the roar of the wind and the sounds of the city.

Below them, the citizens of Townsville carried on their normal day, albeit sidestepping the chaos the earlier battle with the monster had caused. The youngest of the sisters couldn't help but feel guilty, as a mother did her best to maneuver the stroller in her hands around the rubble of what was once one of Townsville's many skyscrapers. They always caused so much damage, without even meaning to. Superheroes were supposed to keep towns safe from destruction like this, weren't they? So why…why did their battles always lead to _this?_

Even with all the chaos, nobody really seemed to mind. Children still ran and jumped down the sidewalk, playing their games and making merry. It gave Bubbles an odd sense of jealousy, and pride, as she watched them in their revelry. She missed being that young, that free. Adulthood was wearing her down, and she wasn't even an adult yet!

Her eyes trailed the small group of children, as they paused their playful banter to rush towards the oncoming path of an ice-cream truck. The driver stopped just short of them, thank goodness. Yet, as much as she wanted to stop and keep observing, keep watching these people continue their paths, their interactions, she couldn't. Already both of her sisters were so much further forward, still rambling their own separate opinions. With a small yelp, Bubbles zipped into place, falling back into line behind the two with a bit of frantic ease. Neither of them had noticed her momentary absence, giving the blonde Puff cause for relief. The last thing she wanted was for them to chastise her for her '_airheaded'_ state-of-mind.

She just liked people. Watching them, talking with them. It wasn't everyday she had the chance to do so, with how busy keeping the town safe made them. Every small moment they had of peace, Bubbles cherished. Even if it was a silly thing to do.

"What do you think, Bubbles?" Blossom called back, casting her sister a curious grin over her shoulder.

"Huh? What?" Had they been talking about something important? She must have missed it.

"We want to give some sort of memento to that PowerPuff Fan Club at school. Ya know, for being so supportive of us and all. I was thinking maybe about a plaque we could sign—"

"Why not just sign, like, a football or something? Isn't that what professional players do?" Buttercup interjected, crossing her arms.

Blossom huffed. "We're not '_professional'_ anything, Buttercup! We're superheroes—we should show these people that we appreciate how much they care about us—and a _football?_ Not exactly a great gift."

"I think it's a _great_ gift." The green Puff grumbled back.

"What about a card? Or a cake?" Bubbles thought out loud. What if they threw the group a small '_Thank You'_ party? Then they could have cards, a cake, and lots of other fun stuff!

"Yeah, Blossom." Without warning, Buttercup gave a snort of laughter. "Why not a _cake?"_

"Oh…_shutup."_ Her sister's cheeks were quickly flushing red, a sign of guilt, or embarrassment. Had she missed something again?

"Wait…huh?" Bubbles felt so confused, so out of the loop.

"Blossom could make us a cake—with help from Alex, _right?"_

"Buttercup!" The lead Puff's face was now a similar shade to her bow, and her voice held an unhidden malevolence.

"I don't get it." Bubbles confessed. "Who's '_Alex'?_"

"Oh, just some lame dude that Blossom is _totally ga-ga_ over!" Buttercup's frame buckled midflight, as she nearly doubled over in laughter. Their eldest sibling stopped flying to watch the other wriggle around aimlessly, countering her wicked laughter with a snap of her own.

"Oh yeah? Well, what about _Mitch?_"

The teary-eyed Puff's laughter broke off with a strained scowl."Don't you bring Mitch into this—"

"You've been sweet on him since _kindergarten!_ Admit it!"

"_I have not!"_ The words came out as a screech. Now it was Buttercup's turn to flush red, as the truth of the statement leaked out into her expression. Bubbles had known that her sister and Mitch were great friends—they hung out a lot, got along great…but like? Like, '_like like'_? She hadn't expected that, especially not from the sister who thought kissing was the grossest thing ever.

"Have too!"

"Have not!"

"Have _too!"_

"Have _not!"_

"_HAVE—!"_

"Girls, girls!" Bubbles shot in between her bickering sisters, prying the two apart before they were screaming in each others' faces, which they were very close to doing. Both parties looked extremely strung out at the turn of events, and just as annoyed at being interrupted. "That doesn't matter right now! We've still got to get to the Mayors!"

"You're right." It was a huffy mutter from Blossom, as she crossed her arms in defeat. "We shouldn't be standing out here, fighting over something so stupid. Let's go."

"_This isn't over!"_ Buttercup spoke with venom dripping from her words, much to Bubbles's chagrin. All she got in response from the red-haired Puff was silence, and abandonment, as a pink streak was all that was left of where Blossom had previously been floating. "Did she just…? _Dammit!"_

Bubbles squeaked, now alone save but for the two colored beams that trailed behind her retreating siblings' backs. That was…unexpected. She had no idea what had really just happened. Apparently she was more out of the loop than she'd previously thought.

Blossom had a crush? And it had something to do with _cakes?_

Buttercup had a crush…on _Mitch?_

There was no use thinking about it now. All she knew was that the faster they got to the Mayors and back, the faster she could get around to maybe getting an explanation about all of this.

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><p>"Oh, girls! Thank <em>goodness<em> you're here!"

"Ms. Bellum!" All three greeted at one time, floating to land before the beautiful secretary with each wearing a polite smile. It was always nice, seeing Ms. Bellum. She was a nice woman, who treated the girls so kindly. Bubbles always felt safe around her, as ridiculous as that felt to think.

"What's the prob, Bob?" Buttercup commented, earning a look of disgust from Blossom. Bubbles tried to ignore the glares they shot each other, apparently still not over their earlier altercation.

"The '_prob'_ is…well, you'll have to talk to the Mayor about it." Ms. Bellum spoke, gesturing to the room behind her with a grand sweeping motion. "I'm not supposed to say anything until you all go speak with him."

"That's silly!" Bubbles found herself saying.

"Yes, it is." The red-haired woman gave a sigh, but still nudged them forward, towards the Mayor's office. "But once you've made your introductions, we'll be able to get to business."

"Well…alright. C'mon, girls." Blossom commanded, taking the first step in the direction they were supposed to go. "Let's go get this over with."

"It _better not_ be another stupid monster." Buttercup sneered for the umpteenth time.

The blonde sister nodded along, gazing up at the interior of the Mayor's office with fondness. It hadn't changed at all since they were kids. Even over the years, everything looked exactly the same, and held the same value, probably. Lots of fancy stuff, lots of shiny stuff, lots of…'_Mayor_'-ey stuff.

As a matter of fact, the owner of the room was waiting for them, perched in his oversized chair. Bubbles expected a greeting from him, a happy perky chirp of words, and the normal bright statement he would usually give them when they had such visits. What she didn't expect was the worried look on his face, or the sweating, nervous chatter that was mostly reserved for meetings after getting called from The Hotline.

"Girls…," he spoke, his nasally, high-pitched voice filled with something she couldn't quite place. "Nice to see you."

"Nice to see you, too, Mayor!" She responded, hoping the reply would brighten him up somehow.

It did, in fact. He flashed her a smile, or at least, as much of one as he could from under his bushy mustache. "How are you Bubbles?"

"I'm good! How are you?"

"Oh, I'm _great!_ Just today, I was telling Ms. Bellum—!"

"_Mayor."_ The woman in question merely spoke his name, planting her hands on her hips, but the urgency of her tone sucked all friendliness out of the conversation they'd been having.

"Oh…right." The grin dropped, brows furrowing back into the same anxious expression he'd welcomed them with. "Uh…look, girls. There's something we need to discuss with you. About…uh…_about…"_

"We called you girls here to discuss a very important matter, concerning Townsville's criminals." Ms. Bellum took up the charge, already bulldozing the Mayor's statement with her own information.

"Yeah, _that!"_ He perked up again. "Go ahead and tell them, Ms. Bellum!"

Bubbles stood with her sisters, not speaking a word. The only one of them who did speak was Buttercup, just to voice her relief that they weren't entering another fight with a monster.

And tell them she did.

"It seems girls, that with the recent drop in crime rate—"

Another comment from Buttercup, more an objection than a remark.

"_Not_ counting the recent monster attacks—"

That shut her up.

"The Townsville court system has decided that a large portion of the criminals are ready for…rehabilitation."

"Um…what does that mean?" Bubbles asked curiously, shyly wiggling the fingers of her raised hand.

"It means they want them to get better—to stop being criminals." Blossom clarified.

Oh. So…they wanted the criminals to stop being criminals? That was good.

"And…they want you girls to help in the procedure."

_That_ was bad.

"What? They expect us to help those no-good, stupid…!" Buttercup looked almost livid at the very idea of being around most of the prisoners, and Bubbles knew why. Most of them were very troublesome. Petty thieves could have nice lives. Guys who stole stuff and did small bad things—they could be made good. But guys like Mojo-Jojo, and the Gangreen Gang…that didn't seem as likely to happen.

"But why us, Ms. Bellum?" Blossom countered, flipping back her hair. She didn't look as angry about it, just a bit disgruntled. It was an odd thing to think about, trying to help bad guy become good guys. It felt like it would be a hard thing to do, too. "Why not get the police involved, or maybe people who actually knew how to handle such dangerous criminals?"

"Because you're the only ones who _can_ handle them, girls." The Mayor twiddled his thumbs a bit, nodding along with every word his secretary spoke. "The authorities have taken all possible aspects of this arrangement into consideration. They feel like you three, being the ones who've taken these particular people down time and time again, would be most fit to be the ones who could do the most good with them."

She lifted her hand up, palm out, as if making a particularly valid point. "You girls and heart and soul of Townsville. You make this town a happier, safer place. Why not use that power to do the best good you could possibly do? Turn these guys around, and make a real mark on not just Townsville, but the world itself."

Wow. That made this sound really, really important. Bubbles felt nervous. Who exactly were they taking care of?

"Yeah—but it depends. Who are we looking after?" Buttercup voiced her unspoken question, giving the smaller Puff a reason to sigh. At least she didn't have to ask it.

"The top tier of criminals in Townsville Prison, of course!" Finally, it was the Mayor who was saying something. He leaned forward on his desk, one hand pointed straight out in a dramatic pose of importance. "Mojo-Jojo, Fuzzy Lumpkins, Princess, the Gangreen Gang—"

"No _way!"_ Buttercup spat. "I don't wanna spend time with those fu—"

"_Buttercup."_ Blossom warned. With an apologetic shrug, she motioned for the Mayor to continue.

"Um…oh, yeah! Him…"

Bubbles shivered. Him, too? How had he even been _caught_—it was impossible to catch Him! At least, it should have been.

"Aaaand, the Rowdyruff Boys!"

"The RowdyRuff Boys?!" It was a panicked cry from all three.

"Yup! The RowdyRuff Boys!" Not seeming to notice how tense the air had gotten, he leaned back with finality, propping his chin against his hands with another bright smile.

"No way! I'm _not_ doing it! No way, no how!" Buttercup waved her arms about, making sure to punctuate her resolve with several stamps of her feet. Even Blossom now seemed a bit off-put by the whole situation, giving both the Mayor and Ms. Bellum a shaky series of reasons why they _shouldn't_ be the ones to do this.

"B-But we've got school to deal with—and Clubs! And the monsters! How would we manage all that time…?"

"We'll simply accommodate your schedules to fit in with the rehabilitation meetings." Ms. Bellum spoke it with sharpness. "But it's a very good idea that you three agree to this. If we could have a chance of getting these guys off the streets—out of their bad way, for good, then that could mean a milestone for all of us."

"Why would they think this would work?" Buttercup shrieked. "These guys don't '_turn good'_! They're bad! And they're gonna stay bad!"

Well, Bubbles didn't know about that. Not everyone was '_purely bad'_. Not everyone could be '_purely bad'_. Too much bad in a person would destroy them, inside out. It was impossible to hold so much darkness, cause that'd leave no room for light. The shadows would eat you, if you let that happen.

But she stayed quiet, only letting out a tiny, "I don't wanna", of protest.

"Girls, we're just asking you to consider it. Especially you, Bubbles."

"_Bubbles?"_ Both her red and green sisters gasped in confusion, at the same time she asked, "Wh-what? Why me?"

"One of the major activities in this…system, is a certain series of activities. I guess you could call them '_clubs'_. They range from small things like reading sessions, to tutoring, to Art Therapy. That's where you come in, Bubbles."

"Huh?" She was still confused. What did Ms. Bellum mean by '_Art Therapy'_?

"One of the…_'clubs'_ would consist of a teacher, you, guiding the criminals into…_'releasing their inner emotions'_ through the act of making art. Painting, sketching, sculpture, all used as a means of diverting the urge to commit acts of malice, by having them put their energy and frustrations into something else."

"What makes you think they'd go along with that?" Buttercup again, a snarky laugh following her statement. "They'd probably just tear the room apart."

"The whole thing would be under strict surveillance. It's just a test, really, to see if that sort of thing could work on them. The courts are very convinced, under your leadership—"

Another snort, this time from both sisters. Bubbles felt a little embarrassed, that they seemed to think so little of her ability to lead.

"You'd be able to make a direct difference in some of the prisoners' attitudes."

"Some? Why not all?" She found herself asking, a bit curious. Didn't everyone like art? She was good at it. Lots of her paintings and drawings were hung up in the High school's gallery, and she already had a pretty promising portfolio set up in progress for any possible art college that she wanted to attend. Not that she'd really thought about going to an art college. Bubbles' loved art, but she also loved animals, and helping people.

"It's not anything against you, Bubbles." It felt almost like a confession, the way Ms. Bellum was speaking. Like she didn't really believe in her either. "Some people just don't respond to kindness in the way that they should. You're a very sweet girl, but some people…just don't _like_ sweet."

"Oh…" She kind of got that.

"Yeah, but I still wanna know—why should we do this? Why should we waste our time with guys who aren't even gonna care that we're trying to help? They'll probably try to kill us! Again!"

"Not with the guards we've got." The Mayor broke in. "They're super buff guys! You girls don't have anything to worry about."

"Uh, thanks Mayor, but I don't think…" Blossom's worry was cut short when Ms. Bellum interjected once more.

"We know you're able to handle your own, girls. We've seen you, time and time again, successfully take down these criminals. You're strong, brave, and smart. There's nothing for you to worry about. Can you trust me when I tell you this?"

"…Yes, Ms. Bellum." A nod from Blossom, an agreement from Bubbles, and a mutter of '_Yeah, yeah'_ from Buttercup.

"Good. Of course, we're not just asking you to do this out of the kindness of your hearts. There are special privileges that come with the agreement that follows. If you girls agree to do this, to go along with this plan—for one year, all three of you are guaranteed a sum of ten thousand dollars, to do with whatever you want."

"T-Ten thousand bucks?" Emerald eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "For what?"

"Anything. College funds, personal purchases—anything you want."

"But what if we don't _need_ the money?" Blossom spoke. Of course she wouldn't. Blossom was smart enough to earn it herself, easily. And she could get into any college she wanted. Ten thousand bucks was like pocket change to the eldest Puff.

"Ah, that's the great thing about it, girls!" Now Ms. Bellum sounded a bit excited, which, compared with the air that they'd been greeted with when they'd first entered the room, was much more friendly. "Not only that, but the head authorities at the top of this project have discussed setting up a fund in your name. If you agree to this, and go along with it, several very important, very influential businesses have agreed to donate a combined amount of over two-hundred _thousand_ dollars to this fund, which will be split into various charities and organizations all over the world! Isn't that great?"

All three jaws dropped. Over two-hundred thousand? All over the world? That was…that was incredible. They could help so many people with that money. And ten thousand for themselves…Bubbles could already see all the stuff she could buy with it. _Dresses, make-up, art supplies._

The limits to the good this could do were endless. Children would be taken off the streets, given food and shelter. People in hospitals could be helped, get surgeries they needed. Pets could be adopted by families that loved them, and schools could get renovations—

But could they really do it? Could they really agree to help the most dangerous criminals in Townsville, to _rehabilitate_ them, for a whole year? Could they afford to say '_no'_?

"Can we…can we get some time to think on this?" Blossom was the first to speak, breaking the air of silence with her uncertainty.

"Of course. We're not rushing you at all. You're free to reject the offer if you'd like, girls. It's all in your best interest of course—we don't know what we'd do without you."

"Right…let's…let's go." The lead sister turned on her heel after giving the duo at the desk a parting wave. Buttercup followed shortly after, still cursing under her breath. Less angry now, more confused. Bubbles was the last to depart, pausing to give both Ms. Bellum and the Mayor a soft smile.

"I hope you'll think about the offer, Bubbles." The secretary spoke. "It'd be a very good experience for you, and beneficial as well."

That meant good right? It must have, because her tone was light and soft. Approachable.

"I will. Thank you." It was a brisk answer, but it was the most she could come up with for a reply. How could she really say no to it? How could she say yes? It was dangerous, but they'd said she'd be protected. They'd all be protected.

"See you later, girls! Ah, don't be afraid to come by later on—my wife's making cookies!" The short man called after their retreating forms, and the absolute energy in his voice helped to lift her spirits, just a fraction. At least she could count on the Mayor to make things better, even if it still didn't help her with this decision.

It was really important. A group effort, right? They were a team, and a team had to work together to get things done. It would be good for all three of them to do this—wouldn't it?

But what if her sisters wanted to say no?

_What if she wanted to say yes?_

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><p><strong>This is a longer chapter.<strong>

**I appreciate the reviews, thank you guys so much. I'm going to try and alternate between writing for this, and my other story '**_Parallax'_**, when I get the chances to write. I hope you guys don't mind.**

**Anyway, thanks again.**

**I.I.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Decide For Yourself

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><p>"What do we do?"<p>

"_Nothing!"_

Bubbles cringed at the annoyed tone in her sister's voice. But that wasn't really an answer. They couldn't just not do anything—this was an important decision to make. Sitting on the bed, she clutched Octi in her hands, wringing one of the doll's tentacles between her hands, as she watched their lead sibling pace back and forth. Buttercup leaned with her back to the end of their bed, her eyes trained on something on the floor. Bubbles was tempted to lean over and try to see if there was something there, but there probably wasn't. She was probably just in a really deep state of concentration.

The red-haired Puff reached up, running a hand across her head in contemplation. "This is a very important decision."

'_That's just what I thought!'_ She wanted to say, but kept quiet.

"There's a lot that could come out of this. We could benefit a lot of charities, help a lot of people—and the money we'd get. We could give it to the Professor, or the school, or the library—"

"Or we could _keep_ it." Buttercup interjected, earning a sharp glare in return.

"Or that, though we don't really need it."

"You mean _you_ don't need it."

"Yeah, I don't. And you wouldn't either, if you got your head out of those stupid games and into your textbooks more often."

"Don't you start preaching to me about grades! You know how much I hate homework!" Buttercup took on a pose like she was about to stand up, probably to initiate some sort of argument with Blossom. A bit nervously, Bubbles spit out the first thing that popped into her mind.

"I think we should do it!"

"_What?"_ Both sisters turned their heads in succession, staring at her with equally mixed expression of confusion and awe. She bit her lip, instantly feeling foolish for speaking out.

"Are you crazy? That's just _stupid!"_ Buttercup snapped. "We can't '_help'_ these guys! They've been criminals for years!"

"Buttercup's right, Bubbles. We've tried to turn these guys good for years now. A simple program—even if efficient, probably won't get as big of a result as these guys are hoping for." Blossom narrowed her eyes, pink slits burning themselves into the ceiling. She really seemed like she wanted to try it, the blonde realized, but something was holding her back. Maybe it was doubt?

She could understand that. After all, the idea of being trapped in an enclosed space with all those dangerous criminals wasn't exactly appealing. Guys like Mojo-Jojo and the Amoeba Boys could be dealt with. Without his weapons, the green-skinned chimp was a pushover. And the little blue blobs were pushovers all by themselves. But the Gangreen Gang was pretty…well, they'd gotten…they'd changed. That's all there was to it. Age had done something to them. Made the green-tinted teens into rather scary adults. Not all that dangerous, really. But just…_scary._

And Him. Bubbles trembled at the thought of the odd entity. How had he been captured? Why had he let himself be captured? He could slip out of chains and bindings with ease—so why was he there? She didn't want to know, nor be close enough to find out.

Then there was the RowdyRuff Boys. She hadn't seen them in…well, it'd been a long, _long_ time. It kind of worried her, how they'd turned out. Last she'd seen them, they were still causing trouble, and trying to kill them. Would it still be like that, she wondered? Or would they be nicer now? Boy's hardly ever were, but then again…just look at Mitch.

Buttercup's childhood trouble-making friend had gone from a kid-prankster to just a guy who sometimes did stupid stuff. Little bits of graffiti here and there, maybe small amounts of loitering, pick-pocketing. Just dumb minor crimes that he easily got busted for, time and time again. Usually by Buttercup.

Whoa. Bubbles straightened up a bit, her eyes landing on her sister, to watch the curious expression on her face at the attention. Maybe Mitch was doing so much stuff…to get Buttercup's attention? It'd kinda make sense. And Buttercup did like him—no, _no,_ that was silly. He was just being a dummy.

"I think," she started, waving her hands about as she spoke. "I think that if we try really, really hard, maybe we could help them. Everyone's not always evil, you know."

Her green-eyed sister only snorted in defiance to her thoughts. Blossom sighed, retreating from the position she'd been in, dangerously close to a screaming match with Buttercup, to refocus her attention on the optimistic child of blue.

"Bubbles…you're too softhearted. You've seen firsthand what these guys do with any inkling of kindness. They crush it. They'd crush us. Being '_good'_ just isn't possible. Not for these crooks."

That kind of hurt to hear. She felt like her spirits were being just as Blossom said—crushed. Were they really that bad? Was it just a waste, to even think about helping them turn good? It couldn't be that simple. Everybody had some sort of good in them, even if it was just a little bit.

_Just a little bit…_

"Yeah." She hung her head down, eyes drawn to the floor, to capture on something invisible. Her resolve. For the first time in a long, long time, Bubbles Utonium lied to her sisters. But not to herself. As she spoke, she kept one hand behind her side, fingers crossed. She was a fibber.

"Then I won't do it either."

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><p>Sneaking out was hard to do. She didn't want to miss any of her classes, but this was important. Important to <em>her<em>, at least. And besides, she could take Home Ec. any day! Decorating was one of her specialties. Making stuff pretty was _easy_.

But how was she supposed to leave? She couldn't fake sick—according to Buttercup, she was terrible at it. And she couldn't just leave. That would set off alarm bells. Literally. The disappearance of a PowerPuff Girl was like a school-wide emergency, no matter how silly the reason was. So there was only one thing she could do.

Lie. Again.

"I've…um…the Mayor called me in, for a special meeting!" Well, it was sort of the truth. He had wanted to know her decision. And now was the perfect opportunity to give it to him. After a full night of sleep…okay, maybe not a _full-night_, but _quite_ a few hours' worth, and lots of consideration—Bubbles felt she was finally ready to choose.

The sign-out lady only quirked a brow at her excuse. "Do you have a written note from the Mayor saying so?"

"_N-No…"_ Darn! Why hadn't she thought to get one of those?

A sigh. "Then I can't let you go."

"B-But…!" She needed to speak with him! It was _important_, really it was!

"I'm _sorry_, Bubbles. If you don't—," the phone on the desk behind her decided right then was the most convenient time to ring. The blue Puff couldn't believe her luck! As the woman turned around to grab it, Bubbles made her escape. The receptionist had hardly lifted the receiver to her ear, when the determined teen sprang for the door, only leaving a light streak of blue in place of where she'd been standing.

Was this considered skipping? That wouldn't look good on her record. But small sacrifices had to be made sometimes, right? She'd given this topic a lot of thought. And she wanted to help. Maybe she was too soft-hearted, like Blossom said. Maybe she was stupid, like Buttercup assumed. But maybe she was just hopeful. Really, _really_ hopeful.

Now would be her moment to find out, she guessed.

The wind stung a little, slapping against her face as she barreled towards her set destination. A bitter, dull pain slipped across her eyes, bringing forth unwanted tears with it. Below her, and all around, Townsville moved by in a blur. The colors blended together, turning people into smears, buildings into grey palettes, and the sky into a vortex of blue. It reminded her of the time when they'd accidentally time-traveled, and she felt the urge to slow-down. No need to risk that again—the experience had been terrifying, and there was hardly a shred in her that wanted to relive such a thing.

It brought her thoughts back to Him, again. He had been Townsville's ruler then, in that time period. And now…he was '_trapped'_ in Townsville's jail, becoming an unwilling test subject in this all-too-weird experiment. They were going to have to spend time together. _Bond_. She was supposed to emotionally bond with all these guys. Every single face she'd punched, every butt she'd kicked, and all the plans she'd foiled—she had to make it right. Make _them_ right.

How was she supposed to do that? Blossom and Buttercup would be good help, but neither of them wanted anything to do with this. Was she really the only one who held any semblance of optimism for these poor, misguided bad guys? Most of them really weren't that bad. They'd seen how nice Mojo could be—when they trusted him. But he'd broken that trust, time and time again.

The Gangreen Gang could hardly be trusted at all. Maybe Billy—but he was loyal to his friends, first and foremost. Even saving their lives hadn't been enough to convince him otherwise. Ace was just a bit…well, as a teen; she'd seen how he could have been changed. But adulthood—was there _really_ any chance for him? Even Snake, the one she'd been _sure_ would have found an escape from the crime he'd been dragged into, was still by the sides of those jerks. It all felt so silly. They could have been nice guys.

They _could_ be nice guys.

And she could _rebuild_ that broken trust.

They would. And she would.

The Puff reminded herself to keep her faith about her. If she went into this, with any sign of weakness, she'd probably be chewed up and spat out like a gross, old piece of gum. But she'd show them. Age hadn't changed just them. It'd changed her—changed all of them. She was _stronger_ now. Tougher. She didn't cry as much, and little things didn't set her off. She was a big-girl now. And big girls could be even tougher then big boys.

It wasn't just for her, she knew. This confidence, this willpower—she wanted to show her family the same thing. She wanted to show Blossom that being sweet would get sweetness back, to show Buttercup that having a soft-heart wasn't a weakness. It was _strength_. And…to show her father that she was all-grown up. That she was no longer a baby. That she was a young woman, tough and powerful.

She could take care of herself.

And by taking this on alone…she'd _have_ to.

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><p><strong>This was a bit of a shorter chapter, whoops. I apologize for that. <strong>

**My Muse for this has been slipping, so I'm trying to drag it back.**

**Let me guys know what you thought.**

**I.I.**


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